Sziefspire
Sziefspire, also known as The City of the Bells is a city descended from a university built on a system of guild learning. The city in its entirety is run by the Order of Tæsch. The guild and city are run by Masters who have gone beyond expertise of their craft to what is seen as the more noble understanding of teaching that craft to others. The guild operates under a parliament of accredited Tæsch overseen by a bureaucratic committee known as the Accordentia. Sziefspire is located in Arcter's northeast at the foot of The Ringing Mount just south of The Spears. It consists of four tiered neighborhoods that extend out from the main guild hall down the side of the mountain into which the city is built. The system of Bells were said to be built by the dwarven hero Reka who engineered a system dependent on the surrounding geographical anomaly of the mountain. Each bell can only be heard in its related neighborhood. Order of Tæsch The Order of Tæsch, sometimes called The Order of the Bells, is a multi-disciplined Guild network with ancient roots. Founded by the Paragon Reka for the sake of growing and passing on knowledge of crafting and study. Reka named the University Szief’Versitet and employed masters she dubbed Tæsch to run the University in her inevitable absence. As demand for teaching grew so too did Sziefspire and the Order. Before vanishing Reka invested the power of the Guild in a council called The Accordentia. Each was the elected master of their respected Guildic Discipline. They stood at the head of the Tæsch Parliment and mediated all conversation, debate and decisions for the city at large. The Accordentia define what qualifies as a Discipline and assign Tæsch according to applicant demand. In broader fields like Mathematics the Tæsch levels can become confusing based entirely on traditions of that discipline. Displines Civic * (Law, Diplomacy, Politics) * Lead by Accordant Svadne Redis the Civic Discipline encompasses most of the Guilds that maintain the city itself both physically and ideologically. Its members train in government administration and the practicing of law as well as trades specific to city maintenance. The guilds operate independently of one another but understand how necessary cooperation is to achieving their wider goal of a flourishing Sziefspire. They receive the most funding and have the widest array of opinions. Martial * (Naval, Guard, Militia) * Represented by the Accordant Admiral Edius the Martial Discipline encompasses guilds concerned with the military protection of Sziefspire and those surrounding provinces that have paid for protective services from the city. Its members can generally be hired out of Sziefspire as escorts for travelers. It features training in melee and magical combat with specializations depending on your chosen Martial Guild. Rhetoric * (Linguistics, Spellcraft, Histories) * Represented by Maeve Digby the Discipline of Rhetoric concerns itself chiefly with issues of more academic scholarship. With a small army of scribes- members tend to be individualistic and seek out personal projects retaining to linguistic pursuits, the theory of spellcraft and recording important histories. They maintain the Perspectivum/Viewery as a part of their service to the Guilds they belong to. Members of the Discipline of Rhetoric are sometimes seen as suspicious by the other students especially strange are those who practice in depth studies of highly specified spellcraft. Sciences * (Natural Science, Alchemy, Arithmetic) * Represented by Muskin Opalheart the Discipline of Science concerns itself with a wide variety of guilds based in mathematical scholarship as well as medicine and alchemy. More than any other discipline, (with the exception of artisanal crafting) the Guildic Sciences work to create wondrous items and ideas for export to wider Arcter. They are known to seek what is owed to them, whether that be recognition or payment and have a long history of in-fighting among themselves. This isn’t considered a negative but a necessary process to create the best scientific minds through peer review and competition. Artisan * (Music, Visual, Performance) * Represented by Ninze Phalnereh the Artisan Discipline contains those Guilds concerned with the creation and practice of art from illustration to musical performance this group is varied in its schools but otherwise isolated from the other Disciplines by the esoteric nature of their studies. It is marked by fierce competition within individual Guilds as fame is a measure of success. The Discipline puts on displays of art and beauty for the consumption of travelers though sometimes these exhibits tour in major cities. Neighborhoods * First Bell * Second Bell * Third Bell * Fourth Bell History Founding by Reka The mysterious historical figure known as Reka was a Dwarven Paragon of great power and wisdom who made it her mission to establish and care for a University she first called Szief’Versitet. It was her desire to honor teachers and provide education to all pilgrims that sought her out at the base of the Ringing Mount. The University grew exponentially during her lifetime and continued after her eventual disappearance. The Filibuster at Sziefspire Following the advent of the Witherplague many sick and exiled from the surrounding countryside sought care and comfort from The Wards where members of the medical guilds treat the ill for free. As this influx of plague victims began to weigh on the economy of Sziefspire Corin Fourshard, a member of the Civic Guild, called for the Wards to be closed to any incoming refugees. She was opposed in parliament by Hennes'Yselva, Master of the Surgeons Guild. The Parliament upheld access to the Wards and in retaliation Corin put together a coalition who began a filibuster in an attempt to have the Wards closed. This filibuster was temporarily suspended after the attack by the Storm Giant Frewroch and ended after Corin Fourshard's Assassination. The Landfall of Frewroch Shortly after the arrival of the Hailfell an unnatural storm made landfall in Sziefspire's port that turned out to be the Storm Giant Frewroch. Frewroch gave dire warning that the citizens of Sziefspire were messing in unknown magicks that would inevitably upset the natural balance and bring about the end of the world. After minor intervention by the adventuring party who attempted to reason with Frewroch the storm giant was dispatched by intervention from one of Sziefspire's magical defensive systems, a massive pink magical blast originating from the Observatory. The Assassination of Corin Fourshard After the parliament assembly to discuss the Landfall of Frewroch, Corin Fourshard was assassinated in one of the upper levels of the main Guild Hall. Her body was lifted into the air, strangled and then all but torn apart by an invisible assailant. Following this murder a portal opened revealing two Hellhounds as well as the insignia of The Silks. The adventuring party found a note on Corin Fourshards body implying that she was working as an agent for some insidious outside faction. Events in The Campaign The party arrived in Sziefspire aboard the Hailfell from Ankhridge. Once there they enrolled in the guild each choosing a different guildic discipline for the purpose of gaining access to the facilities offered by Guild Membership. They met with Kersys, an apprentice of a multi-disciplined Tæsch Harmony who offered them money for accompaniment to Skystead. Before setting out the next day the party witnessed the Landfall of Frewroch a Storm Giant offering dire warning. Due to their proximity to the event the party was brought before the Accordentia where they offered their perspective on the giants invasion. Before leaving the Preeminent Hall the party witnessed the brutal assassination of Corin Fourshard and made the choice to flee with the help of Harmony before the city was put on lockdown.